The Association of Muslim Schools (AMS) was saddened to hear of the attack on innocent worshippers in the early hours of this morning. This was a disgraceful act and we pray for the wellbeing of the victims and their loved ones.
AMS condemns all those, regardless of their faith and beliefs, who target civilians in retaliation for perceived grievances they may have. To attack people based simply on their race or creed is a misguided and cowardly deed and we call on all people to denounce any act which results in injuries or deaths. Furthermore, those who would carry out attacks in the name of their religion, nation or whichever cause they wish to represent, only succeed in damaging that very cause.
AMS would also like to praise the Imam who protected the alleged attacker from being harmed, preventing the situation from escalating further and providing a good example to us all when confronted by an evil act.
We ask schools to review security measures in the light of recent attacks and report all concerns to the police. In particular we ask them to remind children of all the good people around us, who we stand in solidarity with for the common good and against hate and prejudice.